Comics based on movies have a high failure rate

While many movies based on comics have had some success, comics based on movies are much more likely to fail.

In recent years, film adaptations of classic comic books have been wildly successful. Comic book enthusiasts have consumed movie after movie based on heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man, wonder womanand Batman both in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. The filmmakers have drawn on decades of source material to develop their massive, interwoven cinematic adventures, and this artistic freedom has allowed them to craft stories that appeal to mainstream audiences and purists alike.

However, comic book creators struggled for years to adapt the movies into respectable books. Series after series ended in short series with a few exceptions. Most fell prey to the dreaded “comic book adaptation” curse and ended abruptly. The relative failure of adapting popular movies into comic books dates back to many 20th century Hollywood blockbusters for a variety of reasons.

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Potentially interesting stories fall prey to the comic book adaptation curse

After the success of willow in 1988 (directed by Ron Howard) wonder released a three-issue limited series based on the film. It closely followed the film, added little to the original, and was the final iteration of Willow Ufgood’s story in comic book form. Willow has shown potential for expansion, as evidenced by the upcoming Disney+ series and the enduring popularity of the original film. However, recreating a film on the illustrated page may provide little incentive for casual readers to invest in a series, and its appeal may be limited to collectors. Neglecting to build on a story while adapting to a different medium can have poor results as was the case with Marvel’s Willow.

Planet of the Apes (directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and written by Rod Serling – based on a novel by Pierre Boule) was an extremely popular film in 1968. It was not until the release of Beneath the Planet of the Apes this Golden Key Comics published a comic book adaptation in 1970. Marvel continued the franchise in 1974 following the films and subsequent publishers later experimented with crossovers such as star trek, King Kongand Tarzan. Unfortunately, injecting a franchise with off-brand characters can often feel more like a marketing ploy than a legitimate attempt to develop its own storyline. It’s also worth noting that the filmmakers of the 1968 production took a very different approach to the source material with positive results. Recreating the book in a movie might not have yielded the same results, as evidenced in the 2009 watchmen, directed by Zach Snyder. Reviews were mixed while many critics pointed out that the faithful direct-to-screen rendition did not translate well.

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The Star Wars machine is unstoppable

There are exceptions to the curse. The star wars The comic book line (by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin) began with the release of a six-part series based on the film and continued with over a hundred issues. The massive popularity of the movies is why the comics were able to continue for decades and spawn multiple storylines and offshoots. Few franchises have ever been able to replicate this level of achievement across multiple mediums. Extraterrestrial (directed by Ridley Scott) spawned an adaptation called Alien: The Illustrated History (by Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson). It was the first comic strip to appear on the New York Times Bestseller List and despite his endorsement of the film, he received major accolades largely thanks to his masterful adaptation of the screenplay. Moreover, the artwork was highly praised for its innovation.

The dazzling visuals of the silver screen or the dramatic dialogue of Hollywood superstars can sometimes be lost on the illustrated page. Often what works in one medium may not work in another without due respect to both. Condensing a grand big-screen epic to the restrictions of a comic book can leave readers with a potentially watered-down version. With few exceptions, a strict interpretation of a scenario often leads to poor results. Series that attempt to move beyond a simple “comic book adaptation” may have a better chance of having a long-term readership built from a stronger foundation.